Odd Correlation Between Maple Leafs Penalties and Suspensions

Today, The Hockey Writers‘ Andrew Forbes wrote an interesting article fueled by the recent suspension of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly. Forbes titled the article “Parros Making Example of Maple Leafs as Head of Player Safety.” As Forbes shared his insights, in the aftermath of Rielly’s recent suspension stemming from a cross-check on Ottawa Senators’ Ridly Greig, concerns should be raised about the consistency of George Parros’ rulings as the head of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety (DoPS).

Despite Rielly’s clean disciplinary record in his 769-game NHL career, the decision was made to punish him (and his team) with a five-game suspension. Why Rielly? His action was out of character and critiqued by most fans and hockey analysts; however, given the fact he’s often in the conversation as a Lady Byng candidate, the ruling seems off base. As Forbes sees it, there seems to be a lack of fairness and consistency in the league’s disciplinary actions.

What Has Been George Parros’ Record as the Head of the DoPS?

Under Parros’s tenure as the head of the DoPS since September 2017, the Maple Leafs have found themselves facing more suspensions than any other team in the league. This trend is odd, especially considering the team’s relatively low ranking in terms of penalties the Maple Leafs have been given during actual game action.

As Forbes reported, according to statistics compiled by Jeff Veillette, the Maple Leafs rank 29th in terms of overall penalty minutes since the 2017-18 season. However, they lead the league in the number of suspensions. The Maple Leafs players have been suspended 10 times occurring during regular season and playoff games.